Albanian national avoids deportation after local jury acquits him of sex-related crime

Posted on July 21, 2018
Court gavel
A McLean County jury found an Albanian national not guilty of unlawful restraint, criminal sexual abuse, and battery. The man faced deportation if convicted. (Photo courtesy Flickr/Brian Turner)

 

By Howard Packowitz

A McLean County jury has spared an Albanian national from being deported by finding him not guilty on charges he held a woman against her will and tried to sexual abuse her.

A news release issued by the Johnson Law Group of Bloomington said the jury acquitted its client, Blerim Dauti, 22, on a felony unlawful restraint charge in addition to misdemeanor criminal sexual abuse and battery charges.

The accuser told police she and Dauti never met before, but arranged for a date with Dauti and he allegedly made an unwanted advance when they were at his house.

Dauti’s lawyers said the evidence showed the woman was free to leave, and she made conflicting statements whether she wanted to press charges.

The defense attorneys said Dauti was in the U.S. legally, but would have faced certain deportation if he had been found guilty on the felony, and probably would have been forced to leave the country on a misdemeanor conviction.

Defense lawyer Douglas Johnson said in a statement that society is accustomed to believing alleged victims, but cases like this show that’s not always true.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]

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